Weekly information - Thursday 12th March 2020
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All - Coronavirus Update
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All - Easter Holiday Trips and Coronavirus
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All - Mrs Khan
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All - Buses Code of Conduct
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All - Upcoming Roadworks
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Y9 - Parents' Evening 18th March 2020
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Y9 - Maths Exam
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Y11 - Leavers' Hoodies
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Y11 & Y13 - Easter Revision
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Y11 & Y13 - Exam Malpractice
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Y13 - Teaching Assistant Apprentice Vacancy
We continue to follow the daily updated advice and guidance issued by Public Health England. The key information to share at the moment is the need to maintain good personal hygiene. This is best achieved through the thorough washing of hands. We suggest that this happens when pupils arrive to school, after using the toilet, before eating and when they arrive back home from school. The use of soap and water, or hand sanitiser, is appropriate.
We would also ask that food is not consumed or left on the buses as this presents a potential hygiene risk.
We will maintain regular checks on the hand wash areas in school and have placed additional notices around school regarding good hygiene.
Furthermore, please see the information below that has been shared with the school.
The government’s latest on-line advice can be found here:
The Department for Education has also launched a new helpline to answer questions about COVID-19 related to education. Staff, parents and young people can contact the helpline as follows:
Phone: 0800 046 8687
Email: [email protected]
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)
Parents can register to receive the latest county council Coronavirus updates using the following link. Parents can also sign up for the county council school closure alerts.
Finally, we appreciate that this may be a worrying time for our community. It is essential that we approach this in a measured and responsible manner that teaches our children how to respond appropriately to challenging situations. We would like to assure all parents that staff at JTHS are committed to acting on the best professional advice available. We would also expect our pupils to conduct themselves in a manner that uses the information provided responsibly. The school will act on any incidents where this is not the case. We would encourage parents to discuss this current issue with your children at home in an open and frank manner.
Dear Parents and Guardians
At John Taylor High School we are always so fortunate that our staff are willing to support students in their learning beyond the classroom and although there are challenges each time a visit goes ahead, the current media attention and spread of coronavirus is certainly an increasingly concerning situation. During the Easter holiday we have two international group visits to Iceland with Select School Travel and Austria with IBT Ski Company.
As a school our main priority will be the safety of the children prior to, during, and after the international visits and we have sought advice and guidance from a range of sources. We also need to balance the opportunities that could be afforded to the children through the intended visits as well as the financial commitments that you as parents and guardians have undertaken.
In the preceding weeks to the visits taking place our decisions as a school will be informed by the travel companies and advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. The advice is updated regularly and can be accessed here on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
The advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office offers guidance on ‘imminent travel’ and at the time of writing this letter both countries, as we have in the UK, have had confirmed cases of Coronovirus but there is no imminent travel advice warning against travelling to either of the countries. Therefore, the advice from the tour companies and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office is to follow NHS guidance on good hygiene, protecting yourself and reducing the risk of spreading the virus. (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/)
The trip bookings are on very similar terms and conditions to that of a personal holiday and both companies are fully covered by ABTA and ATOL protection. As parents and guardians you are able to voluntarily withdraw your child at any point prior to the visit but, as with a personal holiday, cancellation costs may be incurred and you may not be entitled to any refund from the tour company due to outgoings undertaken to date to secure bookings.
At this point we are planning for both trips to Iceland and Austria to go ahead.
Please do get in touch with Mr Simmons (Educational Visits Co-ordinator) if you have any further questions or concerns.
Yours Sincerely
Mrs K Cochrane
Head of School.
It was with sadness that we learnt of the passing of one of our former colleagues during half term. Mrs Khan originally started at JTHS in September 2017 and was with us for a year. More recently, we were looking forward to working with her in the maths department again from January 2020 in a long-term supply capacity. Unfortunately, just after starting with us, Mrs Khan fell ill and tragically passed away over half term. We are sure you will join us in remembering the young family of Mrs Khan at this distressing time.
Please see a document below that outlines our Code of Conduct for pupils using provided transport to and from school. We would ask that parents share this information with their children and support the school in enforcing these expectations or dealing with incidents. As per the document, any issues should be raised to Mr Twynham via the usual school contact routes.
We have been informed that there are going to be four-way traffic lights outside Thomas Russell Infants' School in March whilst the Meadow Rise/Station Road/Holland Park junction is improved. The work is scheduled to begin on Monday 16th March. The road will be completely closed over the Easter holidays, so a diversion will be in place for those two weeks. Assuming the traffic lights are in force at school dropping off and picking up times, this is likely to have an impact on traffic, parking and journey times. Please be prepared and allow a bit longer for your journey just in case.
Year 9 Parents' Evening is scheduled for Wednesday 18th March 2020. Your child will be given a paper booking sheet by their form tutor which they will then use to book 5 minute appointment slots with each member of staff. Please make sure your child knows what times are convenient for you to attend. It is advisable to leave 5 minute gaps between each appointment to ensure you can move between different rooms.
The Year 9 Maths exam will take place on Monday 30th March. Students must have their own calculator with them, they will not be able to borrow one during the exam.
Students will be provided with a copy of the attached revision list and given suggestions on how to prepare for the exam by their teacher. We would recommend that students use the online copy of their textbook (available on Collins connect) along with Mymaths and corbettmaths.com to help them with revision.
Year 11 Hoodies can now be ordered and paid for direct with the company as follows:
- Go to the site shop.dactylpublishing.com
- click on hoodies
- enter the following code 9BF2BD
You can choose any colour and there is an option for a nickname to be added. All nicknames must be appropriate. The link will be open until 1st May.
All hoodies will be sent directly to school.
Thank you.
As explained in previous articles, certain subjects will be offering Easter revision sessions. Not all subjects feel the need to do this due to the work they are completing in lessons and/or the sessions they are offering at lunchtime or after school. Some of these sessions are open to all students but in some cases students will be invited to attend as it is felt they will be of particular benefit to them. These sessions are not open to all, they are small group sessions.
The documents below give the details of the Year 11 and Year 13 programmes. Students will also receive a personalised letter over the next few days.
The DfE and OFQUAL (Office of Qualifications and Exam Regulation) have recently published guidance for students and parents to help students avoid making mistakes which could lose them marks or lead to disqualification from an exam. It would be useful for you to access this with your son or daughter in preparation for the summer exam series:
This is a section of their guidance from this website which is in reference to the use of mobile phones and smart watches which is an increasing problem and could carry serious consequences:
Mobile phones and smart watches
As you know, mobile phones and smart watches must be switched off and stored away from students during exams. Students need to know, in advance, that they must not take these items into the exam hall. We know that exams officers put a lot of
work into getting this message across, but still some students do not understand the possible consequences of breaching this rule.
Last year, over 3000 penalties were issued to students for malpractice, of which almost half related to mobile phones and other communication devices, making it by far the most common type of exam malpractice.
Taking a mobile phone or smartwatch into the exam room can lead to your child losing marks, whether it is switched on or not. Encourage them to leave these items at home or to turn them off and hand them in before the exam, in accordance with the procedure issued by the school or college.
THE FOUNTAINS COMMUNITY SPECIAL SCHOOLS FEDERATION
VACANCIES FOR TEACHING ASSISTANT APPRENTICE
SALARY £4.15 PER HOUR (32.5 HOURS PER WEEK)
BASED AT FOUNTAINS PRIMARY SCHOOL
POSITION WILL COMMENCE ON 1ST SEPTEMBER 2020
This is an exciting opportunity to gain a Level 2 or 3 Teaching Assistant qualification within a school setting, having 1 day per week at Burton College. The successful candidates will work with a range of pupils aged 3-11 years with special educational needs. Applicants must ideally have or be predicted a grade 4/C in English, Maths and Science. All candidates must have good interpersonal skills and an ability to be an effective team player. The candidate will be primarily responsible for assisting children in matters of teaching and learning as well as personal care.
INTERVIEWS WILL COMMENCE ON WEDNESDAY 25TH MARCH ALL DAY AND EVENING.
THIS POSITION IS SUBJECT TO AN ENHANCED DISCLOSURE CHECK UNDER THE REHABILITATION OF OFFENDERS ACT 1974. FURTHER DETAILS REGARDING THIS CHECK ARE AVAILABLE BY VISITING: www.crb.gov.uk
Amy Spurrier
[email protected]